The Sharper the Blade
by sulfurious
Summary: Konoha lost contact with the wizarding world over the past twenty years, but that's about to change. Has canon pairings and some NejiTen. (Rewrite. Ignores character deaths and epilogue)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

Tenten sighed as she threw yet another kunai at a target resting on a nearby tree. It had been over a year since the Fourth Shinobi War ended and while the newfound peace of the world was a huge relief to everyone, she was starting to get bored. People were settling down now, retiring to start families of their own. There was a huge lack of missions, and while it hadn't bothered her that much while she was busy with ANBU exams, she was stir crazy. It wasn't like she wanted another war, but a decent battle would be nice.

She leaned head back against the log she was resting on, a slight frown on her face. Thinking about the war always brought out emotions that she would rather not feel. Team Gai had almost lost Neji during the battle and her sensei was crippled for life. The logical part of her brain told her that the constant guilt was part of her PTSD, but she still couldn't shake the feeling. She'd almost lost everyone in one fell swoop. Tenten honestly didn't know what she would do if Sakura hadn't been able to bring the two back from the brink of death.

Rubbing absentmindedly at the tattoo engraved on her upper right arm, she turned her head to the sky and let the sunlight wash over her. It hadn't been even half an hour before she could feel something blocking her light in small burst. Cracking her eyes open, Tenten let a feral grin escape. The hawk circling above her could only mean one thing.

Tenten had a mission.

* * *

Standing outside of the Godaime's office, Tenten couldn't help but feel nervousness pool heavily in her stomach. Gathering up her courage, she knocked the four pat sequence identifying herself as ANBU and swung the door open at the muffled command to enter.

"Godaime-sama." She bowed deeply in front of the deceptively youthful looking blonde woman. The woman waved up her up, a serious look on her face as she steepled her fingers.

"As I'm sure you know through your recent induction into the Black Ops, there are foreign countries that lie far past the barrier to the Hidden Countries. Most of these are full of civilians, and are irrelevant to Konoha and the rest of our world. But upon Sakura's recent reviewal of the outsiders, we have rediscovered a small branch of chakra users throughout their world that call themselves wizards, with the largest amount in England. From what we know, their knowledge of chakra and what it takes to harness it is very weak and they need to use what they call wands in order to channel their chakra."

She walked around to the front of the desk and leaned against it. "Konoha once had a treaty with these so called wizards, formed after the Second Great Shinobi War and subsequent discovery of the barrier between the worlds. In this treaty we agreed keep from invading and waging war in their lands if they allowed us to send a ninja to their best academy every five years for at least one year in order to gather information on new magic that may have been discovered and to get a better grasp on their techniques. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"You're sending me to this England?"

"Exactly."

"B-but," Tenten stuttered, "and I mean no disrespect, but why me, Godaime-sama? There must be someone in the Ops better suited for such a serious mission."

Tsunade sighed again and rubbed the bridge of her nose in sheer irritation. "You are one of the best operatives for covert missions such as this one. You speak their language, you look similar to them, you don't have strong defining features. Sending someone like you would cause the wizards to let their guard down and begin to trust us once more. Understand?"

"Hai."

"I'm glad that we're on the same page." The Godaime smirked and settled herself in the cushy chair behind her. "You will rendezvous here at 0800 hours to meet with the client, then proceed to your temporary living quarters with one Granger Hermione. Her file will be included in the mission file as a way of familiarizing yourself with her persona. She will be the one to introduce you to the basics of their chakra techniques and give some insight into the history we have missed. You are allowed to reveal basic information about Konoha if the situation deems it necessary, but anything beyond the barest knowledge is strictly forbidden. The condition of the treaty depends solely on how this mission goes. Konoha has been unable to send people for the past twenty years due to the political instability that we have had to deal with, causing our treaty with them to become somewhat shaky. You will be kind, polite, and friendly. And most of all, you will succeed."

"Hai, I understand Hokage-sama. I won't let you down."

"That's what I want to hear. You are dismissed."

Tenten saluted her and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

Blinking, Tenten reoriented herself as she landed in the bedroom of her apartment. She tried to stifle her sigh as she began to dig through her belongings, trying to decide what was the most important. She knew she had to bring her supplies and uniform, but what else did she need? Was England cold in the winter like Snow Country, or was it hot year round like her beloved Konoha?  
She layed everything out on her bed, inspecting everything with a critical eye.

All fifteen of her weapon scrolls. Check.  
Fully stocked kunai holster plus extras. Check.  
Katana and bo staff. Check.  
Soldier pills. Check.  
Various vials of poisons and antidotes. Check.  
Civilian clothing. Check.  
Winter coat and boots. Check.  
Pajamas and underwear. Check.  
Bandages and ointment. Check.  
ANBU uniform, just in case. Check.  
Sharpening set. Check.

Gazing at everything, she sealed them as well as she could into scrolls and packed them in rows in her bag. Hopefully what she had would be enough to survive the year without serious injury or the loss of any fingers or toes. Flopping down on her bed, Tenten turned to her left and saw the slightly dusty picture of her genin team. She giggled at the sight of Neji's sour face and Lee's braid slapping him in the face. Her boys had been a such a handful from the beginning, yet she still wouldn't change a single thing.

She was abruptly jolted from her memories by a loud series of knocks on her door. Tenten rolled her eyes and made her way to the door, peeping through the eyehole. Neji and Lee stared back at her, one with tears streaming down his face and the other with a slightly furrowed brow. Sighing, she swung the door open.

"I'm assuming you somehow heard of my mission?" She resisted the urge to roll her eyes again at the nods she received and let the two into her living room.

"The Hokage has just informed us that our most youthful blossom is leaving us for a whole year! It cannot be true!" Lee sobbed dramatically against her shoulder.

Tenten groaned loudly and collapsed onto the couch where Neji had already made himself comfortable. "Yeah, I was gonna go tell you, but I guess Tsunade-sama beat me to the punch there. Still no excuse for you to show up in hysterics," she glanced over at Neji, "well, most of you anyway. I do have neighbors."

"Where is it this time?" Neji's voice was low and clipped, the only indication that he was upset.

"One of the outside countries, that one called England. Apparently I have to renew the treaty with them since I'm the only one of us that actually looks human," She joked before she reached out and grabbed the boys' hands, "Look, I promise that I'm going to write to you as much as I can, okay? It's only a year and I'll be back before you know it. I love both of you too much to just vanish on you."  
She reached out and pulled the two into a tight hug, not letting go for almost an embarrassing amount of time. The three of them sat and reminisced for at least an hour, laughing about all the things that Tenten was going to miss and how they were going to be lost without her there to be the voice of reason. It wasn't until it was getting dark that Lee finally excused himself to prepare for training his genin, leaving Tenten and Neji alone in the suddenly quiet apartment.

"So," he said quietly, "you're really going. For a whole year."

"Yeah, I am." She swallowed hard, her eyes suddenly stinging with tears. "What are we going to do Neji? Who's gonna be here for you to run off all of those absolutely insane civilians and make that tea you like when you have nightmares and train with you in the clearing and take you to the doctor when you overdo it again and-" He cut her off with a firm hug, pulling her close as both of them ignored the tears wetting his shirt.

"Hush," Neji rubbed her back as she pulled herself together, "I get it, I'm going to miss you too. But it's all going to be alright. We're going to write to each other and I can force myself to train with Lee even though it won't be the same. What you are about to do is going to make a change in our world. You're strong, you can do this."

Tenten gazed up up into his eyes, her tearstained face slowly drying. Why had she wished for a mission so much? She wanted excitement, but not this. She never wanted to go so far away from the ones that she loved.

Almost like he could hear her thoughts, Neji reached up his behind neck and undid the clasp on the necklace he had worn since the day that his father died. He stroked her face before clasping the chain around her neck, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Tenten, this is my father's necklace. You know how much this means to me, but you mean more and I want you to remember that," She began to protest immediately, but he cut her off. "I trust you with this, so trust me too." He kissed her softly on the forehead. She smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around him again, holding tightly and refusing to let go for a long time.

She could do this mission.

* * *

It was the light of dawn that woke her up, the still dim rays of sun shining onto her face. Sitting up and stretching with a loud yawn, Tenten sleepily looked around her bedroom, her eyes finally settling on Neji's still sleeping form. He had always looked so innocent to her when he slept, the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders, if only but for a short while. She slid out of bed as quickly as she could, doing her best not to disturb the sleeping man then heading into her bathroom.

Tenten spent a little more time in the shower than she usually would, taking her time to savor the feel of the hot water slowly cascading down her still form. She stayed there for what must have been half an hour before the water started to cool and she forced herself out into the steam filled bathroom. Splashing some cold water on her face after brushing her teeth for the first time, she slowly made her way through the rest of her morning ritual.

She walked into the kitchen dressed in only a small robe, to the smell of fresh coffee. Neji was sitting at the table with a cup of his own, taking his time to enjoy each sip. Grabbing her own cup, Tenten settled down next to him and they sat in comfortable silence. This was part of their pre-mission ritual, they never felt the need to ruin their morning with heavy words and worries. She leaned against him as they shared a quick breakfast, trying to stay as close as possible before she glanced at the clock with a sudden sigh.

07:24 a.m.

Tenten quickly drank what remained of her coffee before rising to gather her belongings and get dressed for the day of travel that she had ahead of her. Neji quietly stood and began to wash and put all the dishes away, done just in time to meet her at the front door. Tenten took one last look at the place that she and Neji called home and stepped out to fulfill her duty.

The two of them walked hand in hand to the tower, their words quiet and intimate. The walk was over much too soon for the both of them, and before they could truly register it, they were standing in front of the Godaime's office door.

Tenten stood there in shock, not moving or speaking for several moments until Neji shook her shoulder and caught her attention.

"This isn't goodbye, it's only temporary. I love you." He ran his hand down her cheek, resting it there as she tried to smile for him.

"I love you too."

Neji leaned down and captured her lips in a loving kiss, filling her with warmth and courage. Finally, they had to pull away and Tenten smiled shakily at him once more. "Only temporary." she reminded him before disappearing behind the heavy wooden door.

* * *

Once she was inside the room, Tenten was greeted by the sight of the Godaime and a strict looking older woman with emerald robes that even Lee and Gai would envy. Resisting the urge to shake her head, Tenten put on her most professional face and dropped one knee in front of her Hokage. Gazing up, she let a small smirk play on her lips.

"Tenten, reporting for duty."

* * *

**Editing old stories. May finish Chapter 8 eventually.**

* * *

**Edited: 5-3-16**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

"Ah, Tenten, just on time. I'm happy to introduce you to the Headmaster of the school you will be learning at, McGonagall Minerva. McGonagall-sensei, this is Tenten Mumei, our ambassador." The Godaime then motioned to the tight faced older woman that was standing near her desk. She was wearing these deep green robes, the ensemble topped with an equally odd pointed hat. What a sight the lady was indeed.

Tenten had to suppress a giggle. Of course a nameless shinobi would be Mumei. She then hesitantly reached out and grasped the hand that she had offered that had to be in some form of greeting. "It is very nice to finally meet you McGonagall-sensei. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be learning at such a great school like yours."

Minerva inclined her head slightly as she took in the appearance of the small shinobi standing before her with a critical eye. The girl was already being very polite and proper, and from what the Lady Tsunade had told her, she must be a very capable shinobi at that to be assigned as the ambassador between the two worlds. She continued to examine her for a few seconds longer, taking in what she could about her physical appearance. The girl had very average features with brown hair and eyes that were only slightly upturned, her face covered in a light dusting of freckles.

But she was still very different looking at the same time. Her hair was twisted into a peculiar set of buns and her body language was off. She looked very controlled, as if every movement she made was very deliberate and nothing less. Her eyes were sharp and calculating, yet they had a vaguely warm appearance. The girl was something strange, McGonagall couldn't quite put her finger on it. But somehow she knew that this girl would be perfect for the assignment, hopefully blending in and causing no alarm to any of her students.

"It is very nice to meet you as well, Miss Tenten. As your Lady Tsunade said, I am Minerva McGonagall, the current headmistress of what is known as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are seventeen, correct?" At her nod he continued, "Perfect. The student that you are to be staying with, Miss Granger, is just around the same age. I'm sure that the two of you will get along just wonderfully."

The woman motioned for her to sit on one of the chairs that seemed to have suddenly appeared in front of the Hokage's desk. "Please, allow me to explain a little more about what will happen before your stay at Hogwarts. You will be living with Miss Granger and her family for the next two months before going to Diagon Alley to meet with the Weasley family. Afterwards, the two of you are going to return with that family to stay at their home, the Burrow, for the week before school starts. Once you get to Hogwarts, you will meet with me once more after the feast and receive the rest of the details we have worked out about your visit. How does that sound to you?"

Tenten smiled in what she hoped was a friendly manner. The headmaster appeared to be a very no nonsense woman, something Tenten respected. But still, it was very important that she impress her and make her want to renew the treaty as soon as possible. "That sounds excellent McGonagall-sensei. I'm very excited for this year."

"Very well. Now, if you would grab your bags and hold on tightly to my arm. We are going to be travelling via Apparation to Miss Granger's house, and I must warn you, it can be rather unpleasant for first time travelers."

Tenten proceeded to do as she was told, albeit with a rather large lack of trust, and held onto the much older woman's arm. She looked over at the Godaime, who simply nodded at her one more time before there was a loud popping noise and it felt like she was being squeezed through a tight rubber tube. The whole process was extremely disorienting, but she felt rather lucky that the feeling lasted only a few seconds before she stumbled onto the ground at what must have been their destination

* * *

Tenten rubbed her eyes while she regained her center again before looking around.

It was completely dark, with only a few street lamps to light the way. They were in front of what must have been the back door of a rather tall two story brick house. Looking about, it seemed that the whole neighborhood was made of the same type of house all squished together. Tenten noted that there were little to no trees in the area, given the one to the left side of the house, and that the loud noises that were filling her ears were apparently normal for the place, even if they were almost overwhelming. She took a deep breath in to calm herself and it took all of her self restraint to not gag at the sheer amount of filth that she could taste in the air.

Was this poison? What kind of place was this?

She looked up at McGonagall with a confused, yet angered look on her face, praying to the Kami above that she would tell her that she had simply miscalculated and that they would be leaving to the real destination immediately. This couldn't be the right place. It was dirty and smelly and there were clouds covering up the sun, a terrible environment for a shinobi, who had been raised in a land free of smog and pollution. This place would kill her before she could even find her way to Hogwarts!

"I assure you that we are in the right place, Miss Tenten. The air is just something that you will have to get used to. Welcome to London." McGonagall stared down at her in the darkness, a slight look of what could be amusement crossing her wrinkled face. Tenten scowled at the woman's entertainment at her complete and utter disgust of Muggle London. "It isn't much like the Hidden Countries, is it?"

She glared fiercly up at the old woman, making sure she knew exactly how she felt about this London place if she didn't already. Tenten took in a deep breath of the nasty air and did her absolute best to recompose herself. With what she prayed was a purely professional air about her, she grabbed her bags and spoke again. "I believe that it is time for you to introduce me to the Granger family McGonagall-sensei."

"Ah, yes, off we go then." With a swish of her jewel toned robes, she knocked on the door of the Granger house. Within seconds Tenten could hear a set footsteps just thundering down a staircase and resisted the urge to scowl in disappointment. These wizards obviously knew nothing about stealth, or they just didn't care. Fools.

The door swung open, revealing a girl around Tenten's age with curly, frizzy brown hair, the kind that Ino would love go crazy with a flat iron on, and dark brown eyes wearing the most ridiculous pair of flowery pajamas Tenten had ever seen. Her face lit up with excitement when she registered that it was McGonagall-sensei and Tenten standing there. "Professor McGonagall! Please, come in!" The girl ushered them in quickly and led them to a room with a small couch and television. She turned to Tenten with a huge smile.

"You must be Tenten, er, Mu-may? Hi, I'm Hermione Granger! It's very nice to meet you. I hope that we get along very well." The girl, now dubbed Hermione, smiled even brighter and stuck out her hand to Tenten, who hesitantly shook it. Really, what kind of greeting was that?

Eyeing the perky girl suspiciously, Tenten awkwardly took her hand back. "It's Mumei, and very nice to meet you too."

The two girls continued to stand there staring at each other in an awkward silence before McGonagall spoke up again.

"Since introductions are over, I have to be going. I will see you two at the beginning of the year." With that, the Headmistress disappeared with a loud crack, leaving the two all alone.

They stood there in silence for a few seconds before Hermione piped up. "I suppose I should show you to your room now. It's usually the guest room for when my family visits, but it'll be home to you for the next couple months of summer."

Tenten nodded and followed her up the stairs silently. Hermione led her to a door at the end of the hallway. "This is your room. I hope that it has everything you need, we tried to make it as comfortable as possible! If you need help or anything, my room is just across the hall." She pointed to the pale blue door opposite of Tenten's. The two fell into silence again before Tenten gave a small smile and slipped into her room.

* * *

It was an average sized room, maybe just a bit bigger than the one in her apartment in Konoha. Plain beige carpet covered the floor and the walls were painted a soft pale green. The bed a raised bed, pushed up against the back wall and had a darker beige comforter spread across it. There was a small closet on the opposite side of the room and a large dresser with a mirror hanging above it rested to the left of that.

As she observed the room more and more, she started to notice several more smaller details. There were small metal hooks all along the left wall, which would probably be the perfect place for her to hang her scrolls and weapons bags. A window was on the same wall and was positioned right next to the small tree that she had noted outside of the house earlier. She pushed up the window up as far as it would go and tried to fit her body through it. Yes, she thought with a sigh of relief, she could definitely fit through it in case of any sort of emergency.

Settling down on the bed, Tenten stared straight ahead into the mirror in front of her. This unfamiliar, dirty place was her home. For two whole months. Sighing, she got off of the bed and slowly began to unpack.

All of the weapons gear she had brought was carefully hung on the metal rods for easy access. Her civilian clothes neatly filled the closet and two of the six drawers, three of the drawers were packed as she set her usual shinobi uniforms and the shirt that she had stolen from Neji back before he even made jounin. The last drawer though, that solely belonged to her ANBU gear.

The black pants and shirt were folded neatly and set straight to the side, her armor was perfectly arranged on the other side. Tenten stared down at the porcelain mask that only she could call her own, the frightening animal face seemingly staring straight back at her. She drew it close to her chest for a few moments, taking in the time before it was gone, before setting pulling out a scroll and sealing the mask away. She placed the scroll gently beside the armor, almost reverently. The drawer closed quietly and Tenten quickly placed a tag over the edge. It wouldn't hurt anyone that tried to open it, just alarm them enough to make them think twice. The tattoo on her arm could be explained with a lie, but the gear was obviously ANBU in origin. People tended to fear the ANBU, and fear was the last thing that she wanted from this mission.

She then slowly started to add her own more personal pieces to the room, attempting to make it feel a bit more like home. All her pictures of Team Gai were set on the dresser and bedside table, her brush and hair ties tossed haphazardly across the surfaces. She laid the soft afghan her mother had knitted her when she was a small child across the end of the bed, the scent of home starting to permeate the room. Her shoes were laid neatly in rows at the bottom of the closet next to her almost empty duffel bags.

Tenten stripped from her kunoichi uniform and into a simple black tank, a large sweater she had stolen from Lee, and spandex shorts in an attempt to get more comfortable. She looked in the mirror quickly and frowned. Tenten slapped her face lightly to knock some semblance of courage and made her way to the door across the hall. She had to do her best to make friends here.

She came to a stop and hesitated slightly before lightly knocking on the door. "Umm, Hermione-san? May I come in?"

"Sure!" The reply was almost instant. Tenten slowly pushed the door open and entered the room with caution. Hermione's room actually appeared very normal, something that she hadn't expected from someone that called themself a witch. It was cluttered, furnished with a bed, bookshelves, desk, chairs, and other small things that looked like they barely fit in there. Her walls were covered with pictures of her and friends, it would have looked just any teenage girl's room if it weren't for the books on potions and other odd subjects scattered across the room.

Hermione was sprawled across her bed, a piece of what looked like parchment resting on a very large textbook with a pot of ink next to it, a outdated feather quill sitting in her hand. "Oh, ignore this! I was just writing to my friends Ron and Harry to tell them that you had finally gotten here. They're both very excited to meet you, you know. Please, sit!" The girl carefully placed the stuff on her desk, sure not to spill any of the ink, and patted the spot on the bed opposite of her.

Tenten sat down cross-legged and her voice failed her as she was suddenly much more nervous than she had been before. It was just a teenage civilian girl. There was no need to fear her, yet she did.  
She swallowed and looked up at Hermione.

"I was, umm, thinking that since we're going to be living together for a while, we might as well get to know each other. So, yeah, I'm Tenten. But you already knew that. Ignore what I just said." Tenten felt like her face must surely resemble a tomato at that point. Awkward was good though. Awkward made her more approachable, more normal.

Hermione gently smiled. "You don't have to be nervous around me."

"I shouldn't be, but I am. Being here is very different from home." Tenten began playing with one of the senbon in her hair, a nervous habit from back when she was a genin. "I don't know anyone here aside from you and McGonagall-sensei. I'm just worried about what might happen.

Tenten looked up at the girl who was wearing such a sympathetic look on her face. Hermione scooted closer to her and looked her straight in the eyes. "I know that this has to be so hard on you. Nothing in the world can prepare you from being so far away from the ones you love and being all alone in a strange place with strange people. I had a hard enough time adjusting to Hogwarts, and that's only a couple of hours away from home. I can't even imagine what it's like to be across the world. But I promise you this, I will be the best friend that I can be for you. Even when you get tired of me, just know that I'll always be here if you need me."

"Thank you Hermione-san. Thank you so much."

Hermione smiled back. "I read that's a term you use for strangers, right? You can just call me Hermione if it will make you more comfortable."

Leaning back against her pillows, Hermione asked. "So, if London is really different from your home, what is it like there? I've read books about the Elemental Countries, but your people are so secretive that we hardly have any information at all!"

Tenten paused for a second, considering her words carefully. She wanted Hermione to trust her and think of her as a friend, but she couldn't go about exposing so much information about the village. "Well, I live in Fire Country in a village called Konoha. It's so incredibly beautiful that there are almost no words to describe it. The trees completely surround my home, the biggest that I've ever seen. Some can even reach up to twice the height of your house and at least three times around. All of the roads are dirt, which can get really annoying, but the air is so clean! And we have this cliff that we carve the faces of our leaders on and if you can get to the top you can see the whole village at once. Most of us live in houses like these or in apartments above stores, but there are also compounds for each of the clans to live in and they have these gorgeous houses that I've ever seen! There are huge streams and lakes by the training areas with the bluest water, and the sun shines almost every day. It's just beautiful."

She looked over at Hermione who looked like she bursting with curiosity before she piped up. "What exactly is a ninja? As in, what do you guys do?"

Again, she paused to think of a vague explanation. "A ninja is like the village's protector and helper. Our jobs can be anything from weeding gardens to escort missions to assassination and anything in between. We have a couple of levels. but everyone strives to be a part of the elite guard of the village." Tenten resisted the urge to rub her spiral tattoo again, a terrible habit she had developed this it's placement there.

Hermione nodded. "I see," she said, "So, what rank are you?"

"I'm what we call a jounin. It's in the upper levels, but not too high up there." She let out a fake laugh and shook her head.

The curly haired girl's eyes were bright with curiosity, which quickly dimmed down to a meek questioning look. "Have you ever had to kill someone?" Hermione's voice was quiet and almost fearful, afraid that she might have just offended the young ninja that was staying with her.

"Have you?" Tenten asked just as quietly. At Hermione's loud protest she continued. "You see, that's not really a question that you want to ask a shinobi. It's very personal."

"Oh," Hermione's voice was small and disappointed sounding, "I'm sorry."

"Ne, it's fine!" Tenten smiled fakely, clapping her hands together. "So, what else do you want to know about me?"

Hermione smiled slightly. "What are your friends like back home?"

She grinned and Hermione nodded, eager move away from the previous awkward subject. "I have a couple of really close people. There's my genin team, Lee, Neji, and our teacher Gai-sensei. Lee is basically my older brother and Gai is a good father figure to all of us. I'm actually dating Neji, we've been together for almost four years now. Then there's my friend Ino. She's crazy and way too girly, but she's tough as hell and I wouldn't want anyone else to have my back. And then there's Naruto, we lived in the same apartment building for about eight years. He's my little brother in all but blood."

Hermione looked over at Tenten as the girl played with the necklace hanging from her neck, a haunted look in her eyes that didn't match her youthful face. "I wish that I had someone like your Naji." She sighed, thinking of how Ron's inability to do something.

"It's Neji. But you have a someone that you want to be like that..?" Tenten prompted her, trying to put the focus on Hermione before she accidentally revealed something that she wasn't supposed to. Gossiping about boys was easy, safe. She'd done it a million times with Ino and Sakura-san.

"It's my friend Ron!" Hermione blurted out. "I've fancied him for the longest time, but it isn't going anywhere. We had a moment where we kissed last year, and I thought we would be together but so far nothing has changed." She buried her head in her hands out of pure frustration.

Tenten reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I get it. I liked Neji for two years before he even noticed that I was a living, breathing, attractive girl instead of a training dummy. From experience, I know some boys might just need a little more time than others, and sometimes it takes a shove in the right direction before they really open their eyes. I'm sure that this Ron guy feels the same way about you, he just doesn't know what do do. It's hard to go from being friends to more. It will all work out."

"You really think that it will?" Hermione raised her head up and sat back.

"Hermione, I know that it will." Both of them smiled at this and looked at each other again. Tenten reached out an patted the witch's knee before standing up out of bed.

Stretching her arms out, she resisted the urge to yawn. "So, Hermione," she started, "do you have some place that I could practice or at least stretch my legs a bit? I always get stir-crazy if I don't get to train."

"Err, I usually just go jogging down the street and you're welcome to join me, but there's a park about half an hour from here if you're willing to go that far."

Tenten slumped in defeat as she glanced at the clock reading a little past midnight. "I'll have to check it out tomorrow then. I'm going to go settle down. This time difference has me messed up."

The curly haired girl smiled at her and bid goodnight as Tenten slipped out her door and into the guest bedroom. Getting a running start, the weapons master flung herself onto the bed and stared up at the speckled ceiling. Hermione really was a sweet girl, but Tenten was going to have to watch her. She was too curious for her own good and she had a drive that would lead her to find out about things bigger than herself.

She curled up underneath the thick cover and tried her best to fall asleep. It must have been a few hours before she finally threw the covers off herself and went out through the window, climbing onto the roof.

Sitting there, Tenten could really see just how different London looked from Konoha. Her beloved home was so dark at night, with only a couple of candlelit lamps to dimly light up the streets. But London was so bright, even at nighttime. The sky wasn't even dark, it was a pale, muddy brown color, fading darker the further away from the main city. She could still hear the rush of cars through the streets, the headlights like blurs as they moved.

The air was just as filthy feeling as it was earlier. She supposed that she would eventually adjust, but it felt like her lungs were screaming for fresh, filtered air. All she could do was count down the days until she got to Hogwarts, where it hopefully wasn't that bad.

The stars were gone too. Tenten could have painted a picture with all the stars that hung in the night sky above Konoha, but there was nothing here. Maybe a few stars here or there, but it couldn't compare to the beauty that she was used to seeing. But the sight of the city itself almost made up for the lack of stars. It was like the stars had sunk to the ground, all bright and multicolored to light up the edge of the sky.

Smiling to herself, she couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, this place wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

**Edited: 5-3-16**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

Up, down. Up, down. Up, down.

Tenten breathed in an out slowly, pushing up shakily on one hand with each inhale as she tried to reach two hundred. Training while she was living in London felt like it was almost impossible. It was constantly raining there, so every time that she managed to escape to the park, she ended up wasting more of her chakra from stopping herself from sinking in the soft dirt than she actually did with her training. Part of her told her that it would be good for her to train like that, to build her reserves and adapt to her environment, but the more logical part of her brain told her a shinobi dead of pneumonia was no good to her village.

So she found herself settled into a pretty simple, yet still challenging routine. For the past two months Tenten had been doing multiple sets of the hardest katas she knew in her room, working hard enough on improving her taijutsu enough that it would make a fanatic such as Gai-sensei proud to call her his student. 200 sets of pushups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, the whole nine yards, every day, twice a day. She had even gotten in the habit of accompanying Hermione on her morning jogs now turned runs, taking her spare time to push the older girl to her limits.

Tenten called it help. Hermione called it torture.

But despite all of the training that she was forcing herself to do, Tenten was beginning to feel just a little crazy, being all cooped up in her room during the daytime, only braving to sneak away from the Grangers' watchful eyes to explore the unfamiliar city in the early hours of the morning when the majority of the populace was still snuggled tight in their beds, sleeping like babies in their beds. She had to admit, the longer she stayed there, the more that she learned that London was a pretty spectacular place in its own way.

Lowering herself down once she finally, finally, reached the magic number two hundred, she started to slowly stretch out her gently aching muscles, pulling them to the extreme. If there was one good thing that came out of her having to train in her room, it was that her flexibility must have increased by a good fifty percent. She was steadily learning to contort her body in ways she had never been able to before, pushing herself like never before, and the little voice in the back of her head just knew that it would come in handy in developing any new jutsu.

She grabbed everything that she needed and headed down the hall to the empty shower and jumped in immediately, hissing at the cold water pelting her bare skin. It always felt like it took just a little longer than she was used to for the water in the house to heat up to an acceptable temperature. Just another reason for her to hurry her way through.

She started to scrub her hair and body as fast as she could, trying to get clean before she used up every last drop of hot water in the house, a mistake she had made in the beginning. Tenten wasn't used to sharing just one hot water heater with three other people and it was pretty annoying to always have to rush through what used to be her 'me time'.

Tenten hopped out into the steam filled bathroom and wrapped herself in a thick towel before running down the frigid hall into her much warmer bedroom. She had bought a little space heater after the first week at the Granger's house, unable to sleep in such a cold room anymore. Despite her ability to somewhat adapt, Tenten knew she was a summer child through and through, and England was slowly freezing her from the inside out.

She threw her damp hair into her buns and donned the short yoga pants and large shirt that had become her uniform during her stay before settling down on her bed where her scrolls and pens lay. It had been hard to write to her boys at first with how homesick she was, but it was slowly becoming easier to handle.  
Sighing, she pressed her pen to the rough paper of the scroll and began to write:

_Neji,_  
_My stay in London is coming to an end, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I might actually miss it when I leave. Isn't that weird? I don't know, it has a strange sort of charm to it and the lights are so beautiful! It sort of reminds me of that time we were in Kiri for the New Years festival and there were all those cute little strings of light hanging all over! How is Konoha going? I know you'll be back from your mission by the time this gets there, so no avoiding the question this time, or I'll start to get worried! Are you keeping out of arguments with Lee and Naruto-chan? I know you like to antagonize, but stay civil for me! Have you visited Gai-sensei lately? You know he misses us when we're out on missions, so you have to visit double for me. I leave to get my supplies today and then I'll finally be in the wizarding world! It's all so exciting, but I'm so nervous! I wish you were here, you always help keep me grounded. I miss you so much, but I know that we'll be together again soon enough. I love you._  
_-Tenten "Mumei"_

Rolling the scroll back up and sealing it tightly, she turned to the other piece and started writing again.

_Lee!_  
_You won't believe this, but I'm getting to leave London and I'll be with wizards! Hermione's shown me all these cool pictures and I seriously can't wait to get to see all of it! I'll even get to pick up some stuff for you and Neji as long as you promise to keep it hidden. How're your adorable little genin? You aren't pushing them too hard, are you? You have to remember that they aren't us, so it might take them a bit longer. Not everyone can be a genius of hard work~ Are you still going out with that girl, Miyako, right? You haven't mentioned her in your last couple of letters and I'm getting worried that I have someone to murder before I even get back home! Tell sensei hello for me when you see him tomorrow, and make sure that he isn't bothering Kakashi-san too much! I send all my love to the both of you! Muah~_  
_-Tennie_

* * *

Tying the two scrolls together with a rough piece of twine, Tenten padded across the hall into Hermione's room, where the older girl was getting dressed. She squeaked and pulled her shirt to her chest, earning an eye roll from Tenten as she flopped onto the freshly made bed.

"So, Hermione, you ready to get this show on the road?" She grinned as the older girl sputtered some more, trying to preserve her modesty. "Okay, I'll close my eyes."

"Not like we go through this every morning…" She muttered under her breath. Hermione glared once she got her shirt on, cheeks still tinted pink from embarrassment. "Ano, can I borrow your owl? I have letters and I don't trust that demon cat of yours not to destroy them if I leave them sitting around again."

Tenten gave a sour look at the orange blob resting on Hermione's bookshelf while the girl tied the scrolls to her owl's leg, hissing slightly under her breath. The cat must have torn up at least ten scrolls over the past two months, mistaking them for toys. It was a hassle to rewrite them and all it did was reaffirm Tenten's hatred of cats. Nasty little beasts, they were.

Hermione sighed at the sight before plopping down next to the shinobi. "Have you even started to pack?"

"Nope!"

"You want me to help, don't you?" Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing the answer to the question before she even asked.

"See, you always have the answers!" Tenten beamed and rolled off the bed, pulling the witch with her. Giggling, she helped her up and dragged the girl by her arm across the hall.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the neatly organized room, only having been in there a handful of times since the shinobi had moved in. Tenten was a secretive person despite her bubbly personality, and Hermione couldn't help but be slightly suspicious of her motives.

The girl clapped her hands, catching Hermione's attention. "Umm, so we just need to get my scrolls all rolled out and then we can just lay everything on top of there."

She held back a giggle at Hermione's questioning face. It was always so fun to show people sealing for the first time! They always had the best reactions!

They began to slowly organize everything, folding clothes and carefully placing weapons as to not tear the coarse paper. It was starting to freak Hermione out with just how many sharp, dangerous objects the foreign girl had hidden throughout the guest room. What could she possibly think was going to come after her in muggle London?

Her gaze slid to the bottom drawer with a piece of paper stuck to the opening, what must have been Tenten's native writing scrawled messily across it. Never once had she seen that drawer opened, and she couldn't help but be curious about what was in there.

Kneeling down, she reached to pull the knob and open it, when a hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist.

"That might shock you something nasty if you open it," Tenten said. "I'll get it later, don't worry."

Hermione smiled back and nodded, her gaze sliding back to the drawer when Tenten had her back turned. What was so important that the girl was willing to hurt someone to keep it hidden?

Tenten kept her fake grin up until she was turned away from Hermione, letting a fierce scowl overcome her features. She knew she should have packed up her ANBU gear before she let Hermione into the room. Now the girl would be suspicious and that was the worst possible thing for the treaty. She had to do something to put Hermione at ease around her again!

She frantically looked around the room until her gaze landed on her genin team picture! Hermione had never seen what her team looked like, it would have to do.

"Yo, catch." She tossed the frame to the witch, giggling when Hermione barely managed to catch it. She watched the girl's face wrinkle in confusion before setting into a look of understanding.

"Are these your friends?" The older girl asked, tracing their faces with her finger.

"Yep! That's from when we first became shinobi. Weren't we just the cutest little genin?"

Hermione's eyes slid across the picture, looking at Neji's ferocious glare, Tenten flexing her nonexistent muscles, Lee falling over with his hair in his face, and their teacher's sparkling grin. "Umm, you all certainly look interesting?"

Tenten felt her lips curl into a smile before she burst out in laughter. "Oh god, we all look terrible, don't we? I think we might have been one of the worst functioning teams in history in the beginning!"

"What changed?" Hermione asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"A lot of things really. Age, maturity, and a couple near death experiences really bring people together. I don't know, I think that whoever put us together must have seen our potential to become the team that we are." She smiled wistfully. "But in that picture? We're just the kids that couldn't be in the same room for more than five minutes without some sort of fight. Goes to show you how different things can end up."

Tenten grinned at Hermione again. "Now come on, put that in the pile. We only have a couple more things before I get to show you the coolest thing in the history of the world."

The witch raised her eyebrow at that, but quickly set to work gathering everything else up in their proper place. Once they were done, Tenten started moving them to make sure everything was in the right order and stepped back.

"Watch this." Pulling out her brush and ink, she set down on the carpet, ignoring Hermione's loud protest. "Oh calm down, it's just a bit of ink. I won't get it on the carpet or anything."

With a practiced hand she slowly began writing what looked like squiggles to Hermione on the top of the scrolls. Once she was done, Tenten pulled out a kunai from her pouch and quickly cut her thumb, rolling her eyes at the noise the witch behind her made. She fluidly slid her thumb down the lengths of the scrolls, leaving a solid smear of blood across the rough paper. Pulling away, she twisted her hands into the necessary hand seals and slammed her hand down on the ground.

Hermione gasped as the words seemed to form a life of their own and started moving across the objects placed on the scrolls. They glowed blue for a minute before there was a puff of smoke. When it disappeared, all that was left were lines of the same language that Tenten had placed there before.

"What," her face was astonished, "was that?"

Tenten laughed and smiled widely. "That was sealing. Everything I need is in those scrolls now and I'm the only one that can get to 'em. Much easier carrying a couple of scrolls than a bunch of suitcases, ne?"

Hermione nodded mutely, still in shock at what she had just witnessed. It looked like magic, but it hadn't felt like magic at all. The whole feel of the energy was rougher, more feral in nature. Whatever Tenten had just done, it was something completely different and she intended to learn just exactly what it was.

The shinobi eyed Hermione carefully, shrugging off any feeling of paranoia. "So should we go get your parents to drive us to Diagon Alley?"

Hermione nodded and headed down the stairs, leaving the younger girl to quickly throw on her shoes and toss all of her scrolls into her duffel bag before following. The Grangers were a nice couple in Tenten's opinion, if not just a bit bland. It always felt slightly awkward trying to hold a conversation with the couple, like they were just a bit too cautious of her. But that was normal for civilians. Shinobi by nature had a dangerous air to them, it was only natural that others would be intimidated by it.

* * *

The two girls piled into the backseat of the Granger's car, one still and quiet while the other was near bouncing in her eagerness. Tenten smiled at Hermione's excitement, knowing how happy she must be to see her friends again.

"Ano, Granger-san," Tenten smiled at Mr. Granger, "Thank you so much for letting me stay into your home for the past two months. It's been a great experience and my country thanks you as well."

"Oh, umm, you're very welcome," The man struggled for a second, turning to his wife for help. The woman turned back towards her with a smile.

"You've just been a delight, dear. You're always welcome in our house." She smiled wider, showing off perfectly straight, white teeth. "Next time you should bring those friends you talked so much about! I'm sure they would be just as lovely."

Tenten held back a snort at the image of the slightly uptight couple having dinner with Lee of all people. She pulled it together and sweetly laughed. "They're a bit of a handful, but I'm sure it would be a great memory."

Conversation went back and forth awkwardly for the next hour and a half until they pulled in front of what looked like a run down old bar. A sign hanging out front identified it as The Leaky Cauldron, the name making Tenten want to raise her brow.

She ambled out of the car and stood in front of the building, ignoring Hermione's heartfelt goodbye with her parents. Watching them would only remind her of her own family, and that was a road that she did not want to go down just yet.

Hermione stepped up next to her with slightly red eyes and smiled. "Are you ready?"

She pulled together her courage and smiled back. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Grabbing each other's hands to stay together, the two girls pushed into the noisy pub, keeping their heads down to avoid detection for very different reasons. After making it through with all of their belongings, they ended up in front of a chipping brick wall. Tenten turned to Hermione to ask what the hell was going on when she noticed the older girl had her wand out and was tapping the wall in what looked like a pattern. It took all of her training not to stumble back when the wall began to part by itself, revealing an alleyway full of people dressed in colorful robes and dresses.

She gazed at it all with wide eyes, taking in every bit that she could before facing a giggling Hermione.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley!"

* * *

**Edited: 5-3-16**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

Hermione giggled again at the awestruck expression on Tenten's face, earning a slight glare from the shinobi. Tenten couldn't help but be so amazed by it! Looking around and taking in all the different sights and smells, it felt was like she was in a completely different universe, not London.

She was so preoccupied in taking in every little detail that she could that she almost missed what Hermione was saying to her. "…go to Flourish and Botts once we meet up with Ron, oh Tenten, are you even listening?"

The taller witch was glaring down at her, hands placed firmly on her hips. Tenten laughed nervously, trying to deflect the girl's anger. "Ah, it's all a bit overwhelming. Do you think you could repeat it just one more time?"

"Only one more time," Hermione frowned again. "I said I was thinking that we could head over to get your wand first, and then catch up with the others for robes and books. Honestly, you'd think you'd listen a bit better!"

Tenten threw a fake smile at Hermione and nodded. The witch began to lead her through the crowd, talking nonstop as Tenten let a frown fall across her face. Hermione might have been a friend, but that didn't give her an excuse to try to boss Tenten around like that.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice Hermione's chatter had finally, emfinally, come to a stop. The shinobi looked up to see a narrow, squished looking building barely squeezed between the much newer looking shops. The door was worn with age, peeling gold letters reading emOllivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

Tenten raised a brow at the age on the sign, turning to Hermione's beaming face. "So this is it?" Her voice was slightly dull, overall unimpressed with the rundown shop.

"It doesn't look like much, but Ollivanders is the best place in the world to get a wand, honest." Hermione reassured her, pushing the door open with a loud creak.

The inside of the shop was just as disheartening as the outside. A fine layer of dust seemed to cling to every dirty, cluttered surface of the room. There were rows of shelves in the back with long, slender boxes stuffed in disarray. Tenten was ready to up and leave right then when the appearance of a deathly thin, white-haired old man stopped her in her tracks.  
His clouded silver eyes regarded her and Hermione warmly. "Ah, Miss Granger, so nice to see you again. I see you acquired your wand again. Vine, 10¾ inches with dragon heartstring."

Hermione flushed slightly and nodded. The man turned to her, an excited air about him. "You must be Miss Mumei. The headmistress told me you'd be coming by soon."

Ollivander flicked his wand and a tape measurer came to life, measuring parts of her body that she didn't think were quite necessary. "Tell me, which arm is your wand arm." Tenten held out her right hand, watching the tape measure it as well. With a slight nod, the man disappeared into the the aisles of wand boxes, surfacing but moments later with a dusty box.

"Oak, phoenix feather, 11 inches, quite springy." He pulled the dark wand out of the box and handed it to her. She looked blankly at him. "Go on, give it a wave!"

Tenten hesitantly swished the wand, feeling rather ridiculous at the motion. She nearly dropped the wand when bright, smoking sparks erupted from it's tip. Ollivander frowned and took the wand back, vanishing back into the aisles. He returned with another long box, muttering to himself. He went to hand the wand to her, but snatched it back before she could even grab a hold of it. Tenten felt like her eyebrow was going to reach her hairline if it raised any further as the man walked away again and didn't return for nearly fifteen minutes. She didn't have time for this!

"I've got it now!" The man shouted from the back, appearing slightly dusty and out of breath. "Took a bit of a climb, but this is it!"

Ollivander pulled out a long, tan wand with what looked like twine wrapped around the tip. She reached out and took it in her hand, noting the comfortable feel of the weight, almost like one of her shuriken.

Tenten waved it a bit more confidently than the one before, letting out a bark of laughter as beautiful green sparks flew from the tip.

She looked up at the old man who looked rather pleased with himself. "Apple wood, 12 3/4 inches with a nice phoenix feather core. Rather supple if you ask me." Handing her the box the wand came in, he walked behind his desk. "Ah, that will be nine Galleons."

Tenten panicked for a moment at the unfamiliar term, when Hermione stepped forward and placed nine gold coins in the man's hand. The witch turned back to her and smiled. "Professor McGonagall gave me a fund to pay for your supplies. Don't worry about it."

She plastered a fake smile on her face, hiding the irritation at being left in the dark. "I have to get my robes next, right?"

Hermione visibly brightened. "We should be on our way then! It was nice to see you again Mr. Ollivander." The man smiled and nodded his head at her before going back to whatever it was that he was doing with a block of wood.

* * *

The two girls walked out into the busy street again, Tenten's wand tucked safely into the holster resting on her leg. They made their way through the brightly dressed crown, nearly losing sight of each other at one point. She looked around the street, taking in everything she could while Hermione was distracted with navigating them to the dress shop.

The stores were small at the most, a couple larger ones scattered throughout the curvy cobblestone road. There were windows displaying goods of every kind imaginable and then some. While it was rather noisy, it almost reminded her of the market back in Konoha in full swing.

Biting down the sudden sting of homesickness, Tenten picked up the pace to walk next to Hermione. It took a few more minutes to fight through the crowd before they came to a larger, purple shop proudly labelled emMadam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. They hurried into the shop where they were greeted by a young, smiling woman.

"Here for alterations?" The lady chirped, scissors lazily floating next to her.

Hermione smiled at the shop assistant. "Alterations for me, but my friend needs an entire set of Hogwarts uniforms."

The woman blinked for a moment before her hundred watt smile came back full force. "Right this way!" She flitted across the shop with the girls, placing Tenten on a raised platform in front of a full length mirror. Tenten scowled for a moment as the woman forced her to remove her holster and pouch before spreading her arms and legs out to be measured.

"So," the assistant that had finally introduced herself as Ellen started, "why a whole new set? Accidentally burn yours or somethin'?

"Umm, this is actually my first year at Hogwarts," Tenten winced, knowing that she'd have to divulge more, "I'm here for a year from the Elemental Countries as part of the treaty."

Ellen stopped for a minute, staring wide eyed at her. "Wow, it's been a while since we heard from y'all. Secretive bunch, aren't ya?"

Tenten cooly glanced at the assistant. "Something like that. We like to keep to ourselves."

The blonde tittered and went back to her work with a sense of haste. Tenten refrained from shrugging, she was used to that sort of behavior. Civilians always got nervous once they learned who they were dealing with. Part of the trade.

Half an hour later Tenten was handed a package tied up with twine, which Hermione promptly stuck in that seemingly bottomless purse that she carried with her. Honestly, how did she managed to fit so much in there?

"Ron said that they'd meet us outside here, they're probably here by now." The curly haired girl grabbed Tenten by the wrist, an annoying habit she'd picked up during their stay together, as if Tenten needed someone to guide her everywhere.

Well, maybe she needed it now, but that was beside the point.

* * *

At hearing Hermione's ear piercing squeal, Tenten jumped and turned to see what looked like a small sea of red hair. Three red-heads stood in a group just to the side of the shop, an older woman with two children around Hermione's age.

The witch ran up and enveloped the two teens in a tight hug, not letting go until one of them complained about a need for air. With a slight blush, Hermione pulled away. She turned back to Tenten, motioning for her to come closer.

Tenten carefully made her way up to the group, careful to keep her features neutral. She stared up at the taller people, feeling slightly awkward when they made no attempt to introduce themselves.

"Oh!" Hermione jumped. "Ron, Ginny, this is Tenten Mumei, the ambassador for the Elemental Countries."

The boy frowned slightly down at her, sticking his hand out in the weird form of greeting the English seemed to have. "Ron Weasley." He sounded slightly reluctant, but shook her hand nonetheless.

Tenten wanted to frown at his rude greeting, but forced it down and turned to the woman that had to be their mother and bowed. "Ano, Weasley-san, I would like to thank you for letting me stay in your home. It has lifted a huge burden off of my countries shoulders."

The older woman blushed at the bow, but smiled at her. "It's the least we could do, dear. It has to be scary being here all by yourself, we couldn't help but at least trying to make it easier for you."

The small group began to maneuver their way through the crowd again, Hermione talking a million miles a minute as she shared every little detail of she and Tenten's summer with the Weasley children. The two laughed at the silly antics the teenage girls had gotten up to, though Tenten couldn't shake the feeling of being watched every time she turned away from them.

Tuning into Hermione's incessant chatter, she learned that the Weasley's were actually an entirely wizarding family, if the stories of their home (who called a house a burrow?) were completely true. She faked a smile when Hermione turned the full force of the conversation on Tenten.

"I was just telling Ron and Ginny about what you told me about your teammates, Naji and Lee, right?"

Tenten giggled hollowly. "It's Neji, not Naji. I swear if I've told you once, I must have told you a thousand times."

The younger redhead hesitantly smiled over at her. "They seem like a really interesting pair of people. I'm sure Mum would let them visit the Burrow around Christmas if you wanted them to visit."

Tenten's eyes snapped wide open and she felt a genuine grin spread across her face. "I'll have to ask if Godaime-sama will allow them out of the village, but thank you very much Ginny-san."  
Hermione turned to Tenten, a questioning glint to her eye. "You aren't going back to your family for Christmas."

"Ano, we don't celebrate Christmas back home. It's more of a Western thing." She outright laughed at the astonished faces on the three magic users. "New Years is a bigger thing where I'm from."

Ron, who had stayed suspiciously silent the entire time, looked down at the small shinobi. "Which village are you from exactly?"

"Oh!" Tenten exclaimed softly, scrambling to find an answer. "I'm originally from a small town right at the border of Kawa no Kuni, but I moved to Konohagakure in order to start my training as a shinobi."

"Are your family shinobi too?" Ginny inquired, her curiosity sparked.  
"No, they're civilians. We don't really speak though, they didn't approve of me becoming a shinobi." Tenten said lightly.

"Ohh…" the ginger girl trailed off, an awkward silence enveloping the group. "Look, there's Flourish and Botts!"

The group squeezed in through the doorway, stopping behind a rather large line. "You four can go and look for a moment. I'll wait here." Mrs. Weasley shooed them off with a motherly smile.

* * *

Tenten shot off away from the group of wizards, confining herself to a small corner of the shop. She ran her fingers along the spines of the books, laughing at some of the ridiculous subjects. Did anyone really need a book on _101 Ways to Cook Toad_. Heh, maybe she should buy that just to scare the shit out of Naru-chan. It would serve the little brat right for taking her new set of kunai without asking. Maybe there were some useful books here.

She looked around with a frown, trying to locate some kind of shop assistant or worker to help her. Finally, she spotted a skinny, be speckled boy trying to make his way through the lines with a stack of books barely held in his arms. Reaching out, she tugged the kid over, nearly making him drop all of the books.

"Hey!" the kid frowned, "Watch it!"

"Look, I'm not from here and I don't know where anything is. Can you just tell me where I can find any books on poisons." She rolled her eyes, instantly irritated at the rudeness of the boy.

"Three aisles to your right, towards the back of the shop. Now let me go, I have work to do!" Tenten released the boy's collar and squeezed her way between people until she made her way to the aisle the kid had been talking about.

A feral looking smile graced her face as she took in the titles of the books, snatching up a copy of a dusty book labelled_ Uses of Hemlocke_. Flipping through the pages, her grin grew at all the ways she could use the foreign plant. It was usually found in Kiri, but since the discovery of its poisonous properties it had all but disappeared. A small bit could cost almost a months paycheck in the Elemental Countries. If they had it in high supply here, it could be a major advantage for Konoha!

Tenten clutched the book to her chest and made her way over to the bright red hair identifying at least one of the Weasleys. As she got closer, she could see it was Ron and Hermione, who looked like they were arguing about something.

"Oh, hey guys!" Her voice was unusually cheery. "Did you two find some stuff too?"

The kunoichi flashed them the title of the book, trying not to laugh as the two blanched. "Hermione, did McGonagall-sensei give you any extra money in case I found something?"

Hermione pulled herself together and nodded quickly, her curls bouncing wildly at the motion. "She gave me a couple more Galleons in case you wanted to get an owl, but you can always use the school ones if you need to send a message."

Tenten nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think we should go ahead and join Weasley-san? She looks pretty far up in line."

"Oh!" the witch exclaimed, looking over, "We do need to! Ginny, come on!"

The younger redhead popped up from behind a shelf looking rather startled, relaxing once she saw who it was. She walked over to the three of them and as a group they squirmed through to the Weasley matriarch.

It was only minutes before they were at the front of the line, gathering their books and paying for them. along with an extra set that they explained was for their friend Harry that didn't want to come and face the crowds. Hermione shrunk the sets as she had Tenten's robes and tossed them in the tiny bag. They all managed to get outside of the shop in one collective group and started walking towards a clearer area.

Mrs. Weasley turned to them. "Okay, Ron and Tenten, you'll be apparating with Hermione. Ginny, darling, you're with me."

Grabbing onto her daughter, the two disappeared with the loud crack Tenten had begun to associate with the wizarding form of transportation. Hermione looked at her two friends and sheepishly offered her arms.

"Hold on tightly, Tenten. I don't want you to splinch." Tenten grabbed onto the witches arm with a firm hand, loosening it slightly when Hermione winced a bit. "Here we go."

Much like when she was transported to London, Tenten felt like she was being squeezed through a very small, tight tube. Fighting against the urge to lash out at the feeling, she gripped tighter on to the witches arm.

* * *

Only a second more passed and they were in front of a house, if one could call the mush-mashed building a home.

The house standing in front of them was several stories high, with four or five chimneys squeezed onto the roof. Nothing on it seemed to match, and it had to be held up by magic of some kind, because the place looked like one strong wind would blow it over.

Hermione and Ron were grinning wildly as they rushed up to the door, Tenten following behind them. The inside of the house was just as disorderly as the outside of it, but Tenten couldn't help but feel just a bit at home in the place. It was warm and well lived in, a place where a family had obviously grown. Mrs. Weasley turned around the corner, turning to the young kunoichi.

"Tenten dear, you'll be staying in Percy's old room, Ginny if you could show her?" The ginger girl groaned slightly, obviously not wanting to do as her mother told, but motioned for Tenten to follow her anyways.

Ginny led her up a flight of stairs and past one door with what looked like burn marks around the floor. The room was small, with a large window overlooking the garden behind the house. Tenten set her duffel bag on the bed and layer down on it, staring at the ceiling. The door closed as Ginny left, but the kunoichi paid her no regard.

Sighing, she closed her eyes. It had been a long, long day.

* * *

Downstairs, Ron and Hermione were arguing as they had been back in Flourish and Botts. "Honestly Ronald," the witch said hotly, "I don't see what your problem with her is, she's a perfectly nice girl."

"She kills people for a living!" He sputtered out, the tips of his ears red. "She's dangerous! I can't believe you volunteered to have her under your roof! Do you have any idea what she could have done to you!"

"She's living in your house too, or did you conveniently forget that?" Hermione's hair shook with the force of her anger as she fought to keep her voice down.

"Hermione," he forced out, his face beginning to tint red as well. "What do you even know about the Elemental Countries?"

"Well," she started angrily, "I know that they've been hidden behind the barrier in the Pacific outside of Japan since the late twelfth century. There's been unrest between the countries of the continent for years, so they train people like Tenten to protect their villages. Just because her way of life is different than ours doesn't mean that she doesn't deserve to be trusted."

Ron sat down heavily, rubbing his hands down his face. "Books don't always tell the whole truth 'Mione."

She sat down across from him, her mouth hanging open. "But-!"

"Don't," Ron said, a weary look on his face that reminded her of the past year. "I know she told you things, but I doubt she told you everything. The people there are mental. They train their kids to kill blokes and act like it's completely normal! Hermione, she told you she was in the upper levels of their ranks, right?"

Hermione nodded silently, pulling a groan from the boy across from her. "That's even worse. She's a killer 'Mione. People there don't get as far as she has at her age without a lot of blood on her hands. That girl that slept across from you for a whole bloody month has probably killed as many people as You Know Who. We don't know if those people want a treaty again or if they just want information. There's only a handful of people that have been inside the Countries in hundreds of years! We can't trust her, I'm telling you."

The witch crossed her arms across her chest, her face heating up with anger. "I don't care what she's done, she's my friend and you will be nice to her Ronald Weasley!"

Hermione stormed out of the room, slamming the door to Ginny's room behind her. Plopping down on the bed, she silently fumed. Who did Ron think he was? He'd known Tenten for maybe a couple hours and he was already accusing her of being a spy, for heaven's sake! He wouldn't even give her a chance.

The more she sat there though, the more doubt began to flood her mind. Looking back over the past couple months, Tenten really hadn't told her more than the basics. What emdid she really know about the girl other than where she lived and who two of her friends were?

Staring at the door, she asked herself, who really was Tenten Mumei?

* * *

**Tenten's wand. I hate, hate, hate when authors give the shinobi some crazy, out of the way wand after like two hours of trying. It doesn't take that long guys! So I went ahead and made an account on Pottermore for Tenten and took the wand quiz and came up with Tenten's wand. Apple, 12 3/4 inches with a phoenix core, supple. But of course, I had to look up what things came along with those properties.**

**Apple- charming, high aims, often matched with those who can talk to magical beings in their native language, emmixes poorly with Dark magic**

**Supple- A wand with this flexibility needs a little time before it will warm up to its owner, but once it does, it will become very loyal. Once it has become loyal to an owner, it will have difficulty performing for a new owner unless that owner has a particularly dominating or forceful personality. It is particularly good for healing magic and any magic needed for potions or domestic activities like cooking. Supple wand owners are usually gentle, warm, humble, and kind-hearted. They may need to be careful about not burning themselves out in an attempt to please everyone**

**Long wands tend to suit those with big personalities, of a more spacious and dramatic style of magic**

* * *

**Edited: 5-3-16**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

The first morning at the Burrow found Tenten in the garden, barely lit by the early lights on dawn. She was resting in a large tree at the far end of the yard, letting the dim sunlight wash across her face. The quiet of the home reminded her of Konoha and had prover to be a much needed relief after the clutter and noisiness of London.

Tenten took in a deep breath, reveling in the clean tasting air. She had taken that for granted before coming to London, a mistake that she doubted that she would ever make again. Being up in the garden, the world felt at peace again, even through the pangs of homesickness.

Konoha felt so far away, especially after all the time she had spent in England. Her memories of her beloved village were starting to move to the back of her mind, being slowly replaced by the foreign landmarks. She couldn't help but worry in the back of her mind that she was forgetting her home. But how could she? Nothing in the world could even begin to compare to the village. It was her own piece of heaven.

And what about her friends? Her boys' letters helped, but that still didn't ease her mind. There were so many things that the boys didn't know about, nor could they ask. Did Temari get moved into the Nara complex without causing trouble with Shikamaru-san's crazy mother? Was Ino still chasing after the weird pale guy? What about sweet Hinata and Naruto-chan?

Did they miss her as much as she missed them?

She hadn't received more than one letter from anyone other than her former teammates, and even though she tried to stop it, she could feel the old insecurities creeping up on her. If just for a moment, she felt average again, completely forgettable.

No, she shook her head, forcing those thoughts away. She was ANBU, she was strong.

Once she pulled herself together, Tenten slowly rose to balance on the branch, stretching her limbs out as far as she could in the crisp air. Turning towards the house, she smiled at the smoke lazily making its way out of one of the chimneys. At least one of the wizards knew the right time to rise.

Tenten leapt from the tree and landed on the balls of her feet, leg muscles flexing with effort after having been in the tree for what must have been several hours. She padded softly up to the back door, cringing at the loud creak it made when she opened it. The scent of food filled her nostrils when she took a deep breath in. The mother must have been making breakfast.

She made her way through the hour an into the kitchen, following the delicious smell of food. In there she found the Weasley matriarch in the middle of what looked like chaos as pots and pans zoomed around the room. Tenten ducked quickly, a plate wizzing over her head.

"Ano, good morning Weasley-san!" She called. Mrs. Weasley jumped up in surprise, whipping around to face the younger girl.

"Tenten dear, what are you doing up so early?" She slightly cooed, a caring expression on her face. It made Tenten want to cringe.

"I'm used to waking at this time for training." the shinobi grinned, trying to make nice. "What's for breakfast?"

Molly smiled down at the short girl, she was just too adorable! "Bacon, eggs, some toast, juice. Anything that you like?"

"Toast and juice is fine!" The shinobi settled in a chair facing Molly.

"Tell me Tenten, how are you doing being so far away from home?" She smiled motherly at her, resisting the urge to grab the small girl's hands. The young girl wasn't much shorter than Molly was, but she was just so tiny, even more so than Ginny had been.

The shinobi forced a slight smile on her face. "I won't lie, I miss my friends and my sensei so much, but I think I might be starting to like it here."

"Ginny mentioned to me that you don't speak with your parents?" Molly said lightly, watching the girl's face.

Tenten could have stabbed the little ginger girl. That wasn't her business to tell. But she forced another smile on her face and made herself play the role she was sent to do. "My parents did not approve of my choice to become shinobi. They would have liked it more if I had stayed in my birth village and simply become a farmer's wife. But that was not the life for me."

"It is a very dangerous career, especially for a girl as small as you." Mrs. Weasley's brow furrowed in concern, and she reached out to hold the girl's surprisingly rough hands in her own. "Why would you choose that for yourself?"

Tenten slipped her hands out from the woman's and began to play with a senbon, a nervous habit she had developed years ago. This woman had motherly instincts beyond what she had seen before. If she could win the mother over, even through pity, the children would be soon to follow. She played a slightly mournful expression on her face, her eyes shining with what would look like tears.

"When I was small, my family travelled to Konoha for a festival. It was the most fun I'd ever had, but around the end of the night I wandered away from my parents. I was lost and scared, I thought I would never find them. So I stayed in one spot and waited for them. While I was waiting, I watched the shinobi bouncing from the roofs, running through the streets. They just seemed to glow with power and confidence. It was everything that I wanted to be. But I knew it was not the life that my family wished for me. I planed my escape for years. As soon as I was old enough, I hid in a caravan heading towards Konoha with a pouch of money and anything I could carry on my back, and I never looked back."

"Your parents never tried to find you?" Mrs. Weasley was absolutely horrified. How could parents just let their child leave like that?

"They searched for me for years, but they didn't find me in Konoha until three years ago. They showed up at the door of my teammate and I's apartment and demanded that I come home with them, they said it was time for me to quit playing ninja. They had arranged a marriage for me back home. I shut the door in their faces and they haven't returned since." Tenten looked up as Molly's eyes started to fill with tears. "Ano, it isn't a sad story. Where I live it is a very different world, many grow up and do not speak to their parents. Civilians do not understand the life of shinobi. They do not look at us and see protectors, they see murderers and savages. It is simply the way it is."

"Weasley-san?" Tenten called, catching Molly's attention. "Thank you for listening. I know I am different, but you have been nothing but kind to me despite that."

Mrs. Weasley wiped her eyes and nodded, forcing herself to look at Tenten for what she truly was. She saw callouses on hands, scars that crisscrossed along fingers and arms, deft fingers twirling a sharp weapon with too much efficiency. The girl had the face of a child, but the eyes of an old woman. Eyes that had seen far too much in her few short years. Molly's heart wept for the girl who was forced to grow up much too fast. She would help her get away from the horror she lived.

The sound of feet stomping down the stairs interrupted the two of them. Seconds later Ron came around the corner, his hair mussed and sleep still in his face. The boy stiffened at the sight of Tenten sitting with his mother, a senbon in her hand. The shinobi noticed his discomfort and slid the needle back into her hair.

"Morning Ron-san!" she chirped, patting the seat next to her. "Weasley-san and I were just having a discussion."

Ron cautiously slid into the seat next to the shinobi, every single nerve on alert. The shinobi turned to him, her hair bouncing slightly in its buns. "Do you think you have some extra parchment and ink? I haven't had a chance to write a letter to my boys to let them know I got here safely."

He nodded slowly. "Perce always kept some in his desk, you should check there."

Tenten smiled brightly and fully turned to him. "I'm afraid we didn't get much of a chance to talk yesterday. Hermione's told me a lot of nice things about you."

"She's mentioned you a couple of times." he said stiffly, desperately searching for a way out of the conversation.

"This place is so different from Konoha. It's so cold already, I don't know how you can manage it!"

"Warming charm."

Molly, sensing the discomfort between the two, interrupted their conversation. "Ron, if you could go wake Harry up? And you get Hermione and Ginny, Tenten dear?"

The young shinobi shot to her feet and rushed up the stairs as fast as she could, but Ron stayed in the kitchen for moments longer. He turned towards his mum with furrowed brow. "She didn't threaten you, did she?"

"Of course she didn't," Molly patted Ron's cheek. "She's just very nervous about being here. Now go grab Harry!"

* * *

Properly shooed away, Ron slowly padded his way up the stairs, nodding at the girls when they came running down. He was slightly out of breath by the time he reached the fifth floor, bursting into the room that he and Harry had been sharing over the summer.

Shaking his friend roughly, he grunted out. "Oi, Harry, wake up. Mum's got breakfast ready."

The bespeckled boy groaned and shoved his pillow over his head. "Five mo' minutes…" his voice was muffled by the pillow. Ron rolled his eyes at his friend's antics and pulled the covers off of him.

"Hey!" Harry frowned, "What was that for?"

"Mum'll be in a right foul mood if we don't get on down there. I think she wants you to meet that girl that's staying with us."

Harry slowly rose from the bed, groping around the table next to it until he located his glasses. Placing them on his face, he turned back to face Ron and started walking towards the door. The two boys walked in silence down the stairs, Harry being barely awake enough to form a proper conversation.

The sight of the four women huddled around the table greeted them once they made their way into the kitchen once more. Harry blinked and rubbed his eyes when he finally got a good look at the apparently deadly girl that was staying with them.

If he was being perfectly honest, she didn't appear to be much. The girl was shorter than Mrs. Weasley and smaller than Ginny. She had a pretty, if not a little plain face. If anything, she looked tiny and frightened, nothing like the savage killer that Ron had described.

The girl stood up and actually bowed to him, a shy look on her face. "It's nice to meet you Potter-san. I've heard amazing things about you from Hermione."

Harry felt his face heat up and he mumbled out a thank you before hastily seating himself. Glancing over at his best friend, he knew that they would have to talk again. Ron didn't trust this girl and he needed to know exactly why.

Tenten resisted the urge to smirk into her breakfast when she watched the Potter boy stumble his way through their conversation. Some people were just too easy. She began to mentally going over her list for the week, only snapping out of it at the sound of Hermione's voice.

"Tenten's a joo-neen, isn't that right?" The young shinobi's head shot up and she gave an exasperated smile.

"It's jounin, Hermione, but yes."

"So what do you actually do for your village?" Ginny turned to her with a curious light in her eyes.

_'Assassination, RD, poison development.'_

Tenten giggled and waved the question off. "I'm just a simple guard most of the time. Not the most exciting, but I'm considering taking on a genin team of my own in the next two years."

Ron eyed her suspiciously again, his words slow and deliberate. "What is a genin?"

"Ano," she paused, trying to put the term into words that they would understand without giving too much away. "They are like your first year students, many do not go on to actually become shinobi. But I would still like to try."

"And they're okay with letting someone our age teach kids?" Ron blurted out, the outrage practically written on his face. Hermione slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Harry was younger when he taught the DA! Show some manners!" The witch glared at him.

Tenten frowned at the boy. "Ron-san, I've more than proven that I am capable. Don't forget that my village chose me out of all the shinobi to come here." Her voice was cold and biting, not giving him a chance to respond before she turned back to her breakfast. "Ah, Weasley-san, would it be possible for me to use your back yard to train in? I feel like I'm getting rusty."

The Weasley matriarch smiled and nodded. "Of course dear, what's ours is yours."

She flickered as fast as she could out of the kitchen, ignoring the gasps from everyone but Hermione. Tenten practically raced inside the room and shut the door firmly before pulling out the last of her message scrolls. She would have to get more sent to her.

Shaking her pen so that it would work, she unrolled the first of the scrolls and set the tip to the rough parchment.

_Neji,_  
_I have never been more wrong about a place in my life, and that includes the dango stand that we tried when we passed through Lightning Country. The wizards here, they have to know something about shinobi because the children don't trust me at all and the mother seems to think that I'm some defenseless child. I even have to let them watch me train, which sucks without you by the way. But how is Konoha? I know I ask every time, but that place is kind of crazy. Is sensei coping well? Lee told me that his nightmares are back. How is your official heir training going? Does Hiashi-sama still have that face like he swallowed a lemon when he's around you for too long? I still can't believe that Hinata just gave up her seat like that. Praise Kami that the little brat has no interest in leading the clan or you'd be stuck with a female Hiashi-sama. Could you even imagine? The wizards have given me clearance to have you and Lee here for their Christmas, so don't even think about taking any missions around that time. It seems like I've been gone for so long, but it's barely been a few months. I miss everyone, but it's you that I miss the most. My bed feels cold and empty without you there to hold me. I'm counting down the minutes until we can be together again. I love you._  
_-Tenten "Mumei"_

She smiled and rolled it up, setting it aside before grabbing the one intended for Lee.

_Lee!_  
_This place sucks, there's no other way to put it. It's cold and damp, I have no quiet place to train, the people are nosy and patronizing. I wish you were here to see how completely insane they are. You might even find them weird. I know you're pushing the little genin too hard, so lighten up! You know if Neji says something is too intense, then it's too intense. Speaking of them, do you think you'll let them enter the chunin exams this go? I know they didn't go last year, no one is crazy enough to pull what the year below us did. Honestly, what were their sensei thinking? Really? Who sends a bunch of genin with only about two month's experience into a test that people die in? But I'm ranting, ignore me. How is Gai-sensei sleeping? I've been so worried about him and he hasn't responding to all but one of my letters. I didn't upset him by leaving, did I? Onto a happier note though. I got permission for you and Neji to come here around the end of December and you will be going or so help me, I'll make you into target practice for the next five years. I miss you lots! Be safe and take care of the cuties!_  
_-Tennie  
_  
She tied the pair of scrolls together and set them on top of her dresser before flopping down on her surprisingly soft bed. She would have to find Hermione sooner or later to deliver the letters. It was such a bother to have to use the girl for communication. Thank goodness the older witch couldn't read Japanese or the entire integrity of the mission would be sacrificed.

Rolling over, she looked out the window into the garden. It was beautiful and green like her home, but it still wasn't the same. She couldn't continue to mope around though, it wasn't what she was there to do. She would completely ruin any chance of a treaty if she kept acting like she wanted nothing more than to be gone.

Closing her eyes, she knew that tomorrow would be different. It would be a new day.

* * *

**Edited: 5-3-16**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

The next two weeks at the Burrow seemed to pass in a blur. The entirety of Tenten's time was spent either training in the vast area surrounding the Weasley's home, or avoiding the wizards themselves. it wasn't that she particularly disliked them, it was just that she found them to be rather nosy and patronizing.

Plus they were loud, and that was coming from someone who had grown up around Gai and Lee.

She hadn't made any progress in getting closer to the children through, as annoyed as she was with them. Even if they were obnoxious, it was her mission to make these people trust her and if the so called 'saviors' of the wizarding world didn't like her, that could very well destroy any chance that she had for renewing the treaty. But at least she was trying. Tenten had done everything she could to try to have conversation with them, with her limited grasp of social situations. She had asked about their home, their world and gotten short answers. She had allowed them to watch her train, something that went against every instinct that she had. Even then, they found that as a reason to distrust her even more. The wizards couldn't grasp the idea that while she was dangerous, she was in no way a bloodthirsty killer.

They didn't understand that she wasn't like a wizard. Come on, not everyone could disarm their enemies to death.

The term started the next day though, and Tenten couldn't help but be extremely anxious about it. After all, she hadn't attended school since she was eleven years old, and even then it didn't focus on the strange subjects she had spent the entire summer learning. There were few subjects that were practical for the shinobi world, and even then they weren't too useful. The only subject that she seemed to have any sort of interest in was Herbology. It could actually come in handy to have an entire new set of poisons that could be produced, definitely giving Konoha a boost in that department.

Sighing, she started up at the growing sky. Tenten had been laying in the field behind the Burrow for the past two hours after training, and if the lazy spiral of smoke was an indicator, breakfast would be served soon. Mrs. Weasley always got upset if she missed meals. Even so, it was kind of nice now that she had gotten used to it. Having a mother was such a foreign concept to her after all those years, it would almost be nice seeing what a somewhat normal family was like if it wasn't so annoying.

She rose from her comfy spot and set off towards the house in a slight jog. Molly would most definitely kill her if she was too late.

* * *

That afternoon had brought a flurry of nerves and excitement for everyone in the house. Clothes and other objects were flying through the air as everyone attempted to get their last minute packing done. There were shouts between the members of the Weasley family about where a certain thing was.

To Tenten, it was completely amazing. Even though she had been immersed in the magical household for the past few weeks, it still took her breath away to see how casually they did everything. They never had to worry about their chakra running low, or about physical limitations. All they had to do was wave a wand and it was done.

She laid back even further in the chair, ducking when a shoe came whizzing over her head. Hermione was sitting nearby her, nose tucked into a book.

"Oi, Hermione?" Tenten called. "do you think you could help me pack again? It was so much faster when I had an extra set of hands!"

The frizzy haired girl nodded, turning another page in her book.

Eventually the two made their way up to Tenten's room and away from all the shouting and clutter. Hermione sighed and plopped herself down on Tenten's bed.

"Can you believe I'm actually nervous about going back? Me? I helped defeat You-Know-Who and I'm nervous to go back to school!" she shouted, dragging her hands through her already messy hair.

Tenten smiled at her and tossed another pair of pants at her friend. "Relax. All you've talked about this summer is going back, you aren't allowed to chicken out now. If I can go to school half a world away from my friends, you can go back to your second home.

The witch grinned slightly and sat back up. "That makes me feel better. Are you nervous about it?"

"Of course I am!" the shinobi exclaimed, folding her shirt up. "I haven't had to be in a formal classroom setting since I was a child. They don't educate us once we pass our genin exam because that makes us legally adults. You can't force an adult to go to school, and most of us are too busy with missions to care. I have more education than I would have as a civilian though."

"Tenten.." Hermione started, "why do you, I mean your people, do that? Why do you teach children to fight? It's inhumane!"

She shook her head, buns shaking slightly. "Shinobi don't have a long life expectancy. If I manage to live into my fifties it will be considered a miracle. We live fast and die too young, but we are free. Hermione, I've flown higher than I could image, jumped from greater heights. I've held life and death in my hands. My world is fast paced and if I even blink then I'll miss so much. We learn young because that is the only way to experience life. If you are dead by 25, 12 years old is middle aged. It is always been our way, it always will be."

Hermione just shook her head. "Wouldn't you rather just live a long, peaceful life?"

"Ha!" Tenten laughed, "There is no such thing as a peaceful life. You have killed a dark lord and you are my age. Where is your peace? I would be bored Hermione. I was bored before I came here because there is peace in my continent right now, and I hate it. I need the rush in my life, the power. I need to do what it takes to live and come out knowing that I am better than everyone who ever opposed me. I hate the idea of 'peace', I despise it. It doesn't exist. All that happens is a false sense of safety and it makes people weak and complacent, it makes them vulnerable."

The two girls sat and folded in silence until everything was all sealed away. What had needed to be said had been said. Now Hermione couldn't look Tenten in the eye anymore. She couldn't get over the fact that her friend, the girl who had lived with her and become a true friend, was as bloodthirsty as Ron said she was.

Hermione sat up in determination. She was going to help Tenten realize that the world was good if it was the last thing that she ever did.

* * *

The next morning found everyone standing in a train station, King's Cross is what Hermione had called it. And they were headed for Platform 9 and 3/4. It didn't make a lick of sense to Tenten, but then again, most of the stuff in the wizarding world didn't make sense so far.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all walking ahead of her, pushing all their luggage on carts. Tenten had offered to seal their stuff up so that they could just carry a duffel bag like her, but they refused her. She had known that Harry and the Weasleys would, but it had almost hurt her feelings that Hermione had refused. Even though she didn't trust the bushy haired girl, she considered her to be a friend and friends help each other out!

She was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly ran into Ginny's back. They had stopped in front of the brick wall between Platforms 9 and 10. Mrs. Weasley turned and smiled at her, pulling her up next to everyone.

"Alright dear, what you're going to do is grab onto your stuff and just run right between the platforms." Tenten gave the woman a startled look, earning a laugh. "I promise, we've all done it."

Tenten took a deep breath and watched Harry and Ron disappear through the brick. Hermione tugged her arm and motioned for her to go. She breathed deeply again and clutched her bag. She looked back and waved goodbye at Molly before taking off running. She closed her eyes right before she hit the brick wall. Suddenly there was noise all around her and someone was touching her arm.

Opening her eyes, Tenten gasped. The platform was crowded with families trying to get their children on the bright crimson train in front of her. Harry was saying something, but it all faded into the background in her wonder.

Hermione appeared next, grinning slightly. "Oh isn't it wonderful, Tenten?" She grabbed the shinobi's arm. "Come on, we better find a compartment, Ginny will catch up."

The four weaved their way through the crowd and onto the train. The inside of the machine was much larger than it had looked on the outside, everyone comfortably moving along on their way. They walked for a minute or two until they found an empty compartment and piled in. The trio loaded their trunks up above their heads and settled down, Harry and Ron across from Hermione and Tenten.

"So..." Harry trailed off, smiling awkardly.

"Yeah.." Tenten grimaced. This was the most awkward experience of her life. "Ano, do you know what I will do for my sorting? McGonagall-sensei hasn't sent word yet."

Harry shuffled uncomfortably for a second, before shaking his head and sitting up straight. "She might take you to her office after the feast, or you could be sorted during or after the first years are."

"Oh.. So what is it like, being sorted?"

"It's a bit odd, to be honest. Most people aren't used to hearing another voice in their head, ya'know?" He ruffled his hair. "What house do you think you'll end up in?"

Tenten smiled as the atmosphere lightened. "I was thinking Ravenclaw at first, since I really do enjoy learning, but I don't think the whole book thing is necessarily my favorite. Maybe I'll end up with you three in Gryffindor! It would be nice to stay with Hermione and other familiar faces."

"Is it hard being here?" Harry's face was sympathetic, almost pitying. She hated it.

"Yes and no. Since I found out that my team can come and visit during your winter holiday, it had gotten much easier, but still I miss Konoha. Several of my friends do not have the clearance to know where I am, so I am unable to send them any letters and find out what is happening in their lives. They all think I am off training in Kumo as part of the new treaty. But I think I am going to grow to like your country. I read that it snows here, I'm excited for that at least. It has been years since I have seen snow."

Ron eyed her suspiciously. "Why would your mates need clearance to know where you are?"

Tenten smiled diplomatically at him. "We do not want to compromise the treaty by allowing the possible renewal of it to be common knowledge. It is much easier to announce it if it works out in the end, and keep it a secret if it does not than to spend the year doing damage control because people do not know the whole truth. As of right now the only people that can know are me, Godaime-sama, Team Gai, and the ANBU. My team is only allowed to know because they are considered next of kin in the absence of family."

The two stared each other down for the next few minutes before they were interrupted by the compartment door sliding open. A tall, lanky brunette and a small blonde girl slid next to the four. Tenten blinked and raised her eyebrow at the strangers.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, "You three don't know each other! Tenten, these are our friend Neville and Luna. Neville, Luna, this is Tenten Hyuuga, the ambassador from the Land of Fire in the Hidden Countries."

The boy smiled and waved at Tenten while the girl turned her head with the most peculiar look.

"You know," the blonde began airily, "you have many characteristics of the people of Kawa no Kuni. Were you born there?"

Tenten stiffened and narrowed her eyes. "Near the border. You know about the Hidden Countries?"

"Father and I have researched them, there appear to be a group of Dabberblimps near the coast of Mizu no Kuni." She blinked heavily and smiled at the shinobi.

Tenten opened her mouth to ask what the utter hell a dabberblimp was when Hermione caught her eye and subtly shook her head no. Tenten breathed out and slumped in her seat. "Well, I'm happy that someone has taken an interest in more than our military for once. I have a scroll on our aquatic creatures, I can try to translate it for you if you would like?"

Luna smiled bigger and nodded her head before grabbing a magazine and immersing herself in it. Looking around, Harry and Ron seemed to have started a round of that game with the exploding cards, Hermione was reading a rather large tome, and Neville was staring at his folded hands.

She stood up and scooted Hermione over with little protest from the girl, taking a seat next to Neville. He looked surprised at her boldness, but grinned crookedly at Tenten nonetheless.

"Neville, right?" The boy nodded. "What's the best class at this school?"

He smiled shyly. "I like Herbology. It's rather interesting."

"Herbology?" Tenten's eyes widened. "That's plants right? You have a whole class dedicated to magic plants?"

Neville nodded again and Tenten had to hold in her squeal. "This is the best news that I've heard since I got here! I'm a huge plant person, I have a garden back home."

Sure, it may be full of plants that she used to make poison, but still, someone else liked plants!

The boy's eyes widened and his face seemed to come alive. "Well then, you'll love..."

* * *

Hours passed by, and Tenten decided that Neville was her new favorite wizardy person. Not only did he like plants, but he understood the fundamental necessities of care in order to bring out certain properties. He found it a bit disturbing that she was so interested in the various poisonous properties of magical plants, but it was a common interest that no one but Professor Sprout had shared with him, ever.

Tenten was in the middle of describing the right way to boil roots so that the end result was odorless when Hermione jolted up from the nap she had started two hours earlier. She looked out the window and squealed. "We need to get our robes on, now! We're going to be at the station in fifteen minutes!"

She shoved the boys out of the compartment, leaving the three girls standing there. Tenten grabbed the clothes she had left unsealed in her bag and reluctantly started changing. The uniform was just not practical in her opinion. The skirt was too long to give full range of motion, and the robe was just ridiculous. It did nothing but get in the way.

Letting Hermione tie the plain gray tie on, she was assured that the color would change after her sorting to match that of her house. She noted that while Hermione's was Gryffindor colors, Luna's was blue and silver. She must be in Ravenclaw then.

They were all pulling on the last bits of their uniforms when the boys walked back into the compartment. Hermione started in on something about knocking and being rude, but trailed off eventually. It was no sooner than they sat down that they felt the train start to slow. With a groan, everyone got back up and began to gather their things.

The train came to a complete stop and they piled out into the corridor, Tenten leading the way. She followed the crowd out onto a platform and stopped, her mouth falling open. In front of her was a lake and a huge castle behind it. Strange skeletal horses were strapped to carriages leading up to the castle.

This was Hogwarts.

* * *

**Edited: 5-3-16**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

Hogwarts was unlike anything Tenten had ever seen before. There had been a fair share of castles and mansions that missions had brought her to, but nothing quite on this scale. The thing must have been the size of Hokage Mountain! And she had to admit, it was very pretty too. From what she could see there were tall, twisting towers and candlelight flickering in the windows. For all she had seen in her short life, there had never been a moment quite like this.

Standing there, it hit her that this would be her legacy. She, a shinobi with no clan or high social standing, would be the first of her people to step foot in these halls in twenty years. She would be the one to bring back information and skills that could revolutionize the shinobi world. How many new discoveries had been made in the last twenty years? This was all up to her now.

She turned back towards the train and watched, waiting for Hermione and her friends to come out. Tenten must have moved much faster than she thought in her excitement. A large hand fell on her shoulder, causing her to jump and reach for her weapon pouch.

In front of her was literally the tallest person that she had ever laid eyes on. He was at least twice her height, with wild hair and a beard to match. She reached further into her pouch, ready to defend herself at the first sign of aggression.

"Erm, yer Tenten, right?" The tall man asked her. She pulled her hand away from the pouch, relaxing slightly as she nodded yes. "Name's Hagrid. Professor McGonagall said yeh were 'ta ride the boats with the firs' years. So, erm, follow me."

Tenten looked back at the train, waving when she caught Neville's eye before following Hagrid over to the crowd of nervous, tittering first years. Listening to their hushed conversations about what they would have to go through for the sorting made her smile. To think, that Hogwarts would actually make an eleven year old with no training fight a troll! Children could be so funny sometimes.

As the last of the older students climbed into a carriage, Hagrid began ushering the first years into boats. After a few near misses and an unfortunate child tripping into the lake, they were all seated. Hagrid motioned for Tenten to join him in the larger boat in front. She walked from boat to boat, earning complains from the children, before squeezing herself in the small space left next to the huge man. She smiled up at him, albeit a bit nervously herself, as the boats began to move without any assistance.

"Don' be too nervous now, yeh hear?" Hagrid smiled down at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

Somehow, that made her feel better. She didn't know why, but the man reminded her of her sensei in his more serious moments. It was warm and comfortable. "Thank you," she smiled at him. "You have all been very kind to allow me here."

Well, maybe not everyone had been kind, but Hagrid was easy to be near and she felt like she had made the start of a true friendship with Neville. If she could continue with how everything was, she would be able to survive the year with happiness and sanity intact.

For the next ten or so minutes, she and Hagrid sat in comfortable silence as the castle grew near. Once the boats were docked and the students were steady on land, they began the short walk up to the castle. It passed in more silence on Tenten's part, until they reached the huge doors at the front of the castle. They swung open slowly, light flooding out onto the group.

Hagrid smiled at Tenten as he ushered the students inside before disappearing. She stood there in the empty hall with the children, looking around. The sound of footsteps rapidly approaching filled the hall as a small, bespeckled man rushed up in front of everyone.

"So sorry, there was a bit of a situation with Peeves. Nothing to worry about now." The small man assured. "I am Professor Filius Flitwick, and I want to welcome you all to Hogwarts. The feast will start soon, but first we have to get you all sorted! Once you are sorted into one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin, you will join your housemates at their table. Where you are sorted will determine the next seven years for you. Your triumphs will earn you house points, while rulebreaking will lose housepoints. At the end of the year, the house that has the most points will win the house cup, a great honor. Now, settle down and form a line, the sorting will soon begin."

The first years busied themselves with squeezing into a line, everyone fighting to stay near people they knew. Tenten stood awkwardly next to the growing line, unsure of what to do with herself. Professor Flitwick made his way around the first years and walked up to Tenten.

Sticking out his hand in greeting, he smiled warmly at the shinobi. "Ah, you must be Tenten Hyuuga, our wonderful guest. It's an honor to meet you."

"It is an honor to be here, sir," she shook his hand firmly.

"I'm here to tell you about your sorting." She held in her sigh of relief. Finally, she'd know what was going on! "You will slip in with the first years and wait with them until they are done. Then Professor McGonagall will make an announcement about what you'll be doing here at Hogwarts. After that you'll be sorted and will join your house as everyone else has."

Tenten smiled brightly. "That sounds great. Thank you so much." She bowed at him, causing the man to blush slightly in his delight.

Flitwick made his way to the front of the line and waved his wand, opening the doors. The first years piled in quickly, their voices full of awe as they took in the hall. Tenten had to admit, it was spectacular. There were rows of tables full of chattering students, the teachers all sitting together at the very end of the room. But the ceiling is what inspired the most appreciation. They had cast what must have been their form of genjutsu, causing the scene to appear like the sky outside, with candles floating above them. She frowned slightly. Hopefully there wouldn't be any wax dripping on them.

At the end of the hall, sitting there on a wooden stool, was an old hat. Flitwick went and stood a step above the stool, pulling out a list. It looked as if he was going to start reading off names when the seam on the hat opened and of all things, it began to sing!

Tenten stifled her giggles at the scene. The tune was jolly and fun, and by the looks of the students, it hadn't been like that lately. With one last note, it closed its seam and the sound of applause filled the air. Once it quieted down, Flitwick opened up the list and cleared his throat.

"Albritton, Anna." A tiny girl with her hair pushed back in a headband flounced up to the stool, sitting down quickly. The hat was placed on her head and for a few seconds, it looked like it was having a conversation with the girl. Moments later the hat shouted "RAVENCLAW!"

The girl rushed over to her new house, cheeks pink as the next name was called. The sorting went on like that for the next fifteen minutes, ending with "Young, Luke." going into Hufflepuff. Tenten shifted her weight from foot to foot as she stood there alone, whispers filling the hall as people started at her. Professor McGonagall rose from her chair to stand at the magnificent golden podium.

"As I'm sure you have all heard," She began, "We have a guest for the year. She hails from the Hidden Countries and is here to learn about our culture and to help further our knowledge on her homeland. Please welcome Miss Tenten Mumei."

Tenten bowed at the polite applause before turning and sitting down on the stool. Flitwick reached high up and managed to settle the hat on her head.

_"Hmm, a shinobi. It's been a while since I've seen one of your kind."  
_  
She resisted the urge to jump in surprise. Having a voice in her head was really weird. "_Just as strange as being a voice in someone's head. But, now this is very difficult. Intelligent, loyal, but I see a vicious side. Wherever to put you?"  
_  
Wherever will help my mission the most, she thought.  
_"So demanding. There's only one place for a girl like you, and that'd be **GRYFFINDOR**!"  
_  
Tenten stood and handed the hat to Professor Flitwick before walking over to the red and gold table. Hermione scooted over and patted a spot between her and Neville. It was no sooner than the second Tenten had sat down that Hermione crushed her in a hug.

"Oh, I just knew you would be with us!" The bushy haired girl squealed, hugging her friend closer.

"Hermione. Space. Now." Tenten gritted, relaxing when her friend immediately released her. She smoothed down her clothes, noting that her tie had changed to her new house's colors. Professor McGonagall was speaking in the background and when she stopped, a feast appeared on the table. Tenten smiled brightly when she saw a small collection of sesame dumplings. She pulled a pair of chopsticks from her holster and quickly grabbed the food she wanted. With a quick "Itadakimasu!" she dug in, almost moaning at the taste of familiar food.

She felt several eyes on her, and when she looked up Harry and Ron were staring at her in confusion. "What?" she asked, swallowing another dumpling.

"How do you eat with those?" Ron motioned wildly to her chopsticks.

Tenten felt her expression fall into the most confused look. "Ron... I have been eating with these the entire time I was at your home. I don't know how to use a fork."

The gingers face flooded red with embarrassment as Hermione giggled. "It is much easier than what you use," Tenten continued. "I can teach you if you would like."

"I'm good." He replied stiffly, refusing to make eye contact. After a few awkward seconds Tenten shrugged and turned her attention to Neville, keen on continuing their conversation from the train.

* * *

Before she knew it, the feast was over and her belly was stuffed. Everyone rose to go towards their prospective dormitories, and she followed, rushing to keep the pace with Neville's long steps.

The two chatted quietly as they made their way up the stairs, everyone stopping at the portrait of a portly lady in a pink dress. "Okay everyone, the password is _Quid Agis_. It'll do you well to remember it." The prefect spoke over everyone before reciting the password and leading everyone through into the common room.

Everything about Gryffindor's common room was warm. It had plush furniture and a roaring fire, it just screamed cozy. Several people settled down onto one of the various chairs or couch and began talking away. Hermione appeared from behind and grabbed Tenten's arm.

"I'll show you our room." The witch led her away from Neville and up a set of stairs. They passed several doors until they made it to the top, the brass marker reading 'Seventh Years'. Hermione pushed the door open, leading to a circular room with beds lining the wall. There were several girls already up there, including Ginny, having claimed a bed for themselves. Hermione settled on a bed near a large window, and motioned for Tenten to take the other one.

Their belongings appeared as soon as they sat down, their names marked into the brass of the chest next to the bed. Tenten sighed as she began the process of unsealing her stuff and packing it neatly into the trunk. She left her ANBU gear and her weapons sealed in their scrolls for the most part, and stocked up her weapons pouch with everything that was missing. Grabbing a tank top and a baggy pair of Neji's sleep pants, she started stripping out of her uniform.

Hermione squeaked when she looked up and saw her friend half naked. "Tenten! We don't change in here!"

"Why not?" The shinobi asked, not slowing in her undressing. "This is where we sleep. I'm not going to go to another room for two seconds just to change." She pulled on the tank top, smiling at the smell of home that was permeated deep in the fabric. She quickly scooted her skirt, socks, and shoes off, and pulled the too big pants on. Tightening the drawstring, she turned back to Hermione, who was frowning slightly.

"If it really bothers you, I can change somewhere else I guess." Tenten began reluctantly.

"No, no, it isn't that. I mean, it startled me, but I'll get used to it." Hermione kept frowning, her eyes narrowed. "But when did you get a tattoo?"

Tenten's hand flew to cover the spiral tattoo on her right arm. She had been so careful to keep it covered the entire summer and then she messes up the first night. "Ano.. I had it all summer, I just did not want to offend your parents or the Weasleys. I have had it for a few months now."

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, nodding at the explanation. "So what does it mean? There was a reason you got it, right?"

Shit.

Tenten rubbed the tattoo self consciously. "It stands for strength and determination. It is a very honored mark for shinobi."

That should do it, she thought. Hermione nodded again, buying the story. The witches eyes widened with curiosity. "Did it hurt? I know muggles use a needle to push the ink into the skin, is that how yours was done?"

"Nope," Tenten shook her head. "We mark ourselves through chakra. The artist gathers the chakra in the ink and pushes it into the skin. It hurts for a split second, but that is it. Why, do you want one?" Her voice was teasing and she wiggled her fingers as she reached for Hermione. The girl squeaked and jumped back. "No, no!"

Tenten fell back on her bed laughing. The look on Hermione's face was too much. She had actually thought that Tenten could tattoo her right then and there. Hermione pouted on her bed as the shinobi rolled in hysterics before throwing a pillow at Tenten, which the shinobi caught much to her irritation.

She settled down a few minutes later, and turned to the witch. "Hey, can you show me where to mail stuff tomorrow? I need to send Lee and Neji my new coordinates."

Hermione nodded as she gathered her clothes to change into. As the girl padded out of the room, Tenten reached in her trunk and grabbed parchment, pen, and a large book to use as a hard surface.

_Neji,_  
_I finally made it to Hogwarts. They sorted me into Gryffindor, so I'm with all of the people that I know. And you wouldn't believe it, I found someone who likes gardening as much as I do! His name is Neville and I swear, I'm adopting him. He's the first person that I've met here that I truly like. You'll have to meet him when you come for their holidays. How did your mission go? I hope you got along with the people on your team this time, you want people to want to work with you. How is everyone doing? I feel so terrible by not writing to all of them, but you know how it is. Is the clan okay? You get officially instated as head in a few months, right? I hope you're taking care of yourself. Lee mentioned that you look exhausted and that's the last thing that you should be! I know it's hard keeping up with ANBU and the clan, but you can tell them no every once in a while. I love you, and I miss you. Please write back soon._  
_-Tenten_

_Lee!_  
_First off, I am so sorry to hear about you and Miyako. She was completely wrong about everything she said about you. You are amazing and kind, and you deserve more than some wench in a dango shop. I promise you that there will be other girls that will be much better. On a lighter note, tell your adorable little minions that their letter was so sweet! That was so nice of you to send it with yours. They mentioned that you've been training them extra hard lately, remember that they're still tiny and learning. Gai-sensei has finally written back to me, but will you still check up on him for me? He didn't sound like himself and I'm worried that he's going to dig himself into a hole that he can't climb out of. I was sorted today though, I was placed into Gryffindor. They're nice for the most part, but they don't compare to my boys. Take care of yourself and go easy on the munchkins! Love you!_  
_-Tennie_

* * *

**Tenten was sorted via Pottermore. If it made been my own personal preference, she would be in Ravenclaw.**

* * *

**Edited: 5-3-16**


End file.
